EP# 035: The LEGO Story

The Lego Group has an amazing history and the brand has the capacity to reawaken the sense of experimentation and play that resides within everyone. From its founding in 1932 to the introduction of the interlocking toy bricks in 1949, to the massive losses in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the story of Lego is an amazing business tale of struggle, success, failure, and reinvention. With relentless innovation over the company’s 8+ decades and overcoming aggressive competitors offering electronics or other forms of building sets, Lego has survived and prospered.

Show notes (with time stamps)

Introduction: 00:00 - 04:25

The Beginnings: 04:30 - 13:20

The 1960s: 13:25 - 17:47

The Expansion: 17:52 - 24:18

The Decline: 24:22 - 33:46

Recovery: 33:50 - 36:17

Mindstorms: 36:22 - 41:44

Other Products: 41:49 - 49:22

Pop Culture: 49:28 - 52:33

Conclusion: 52:38 -

Music

Artist: Scott Holmes

Album: Road Trip

Track: Indie Rock

Resource

Brick by Brick: How LEGO rewrote the rules of innovation and conquered the global toy industry by David Robertson and Bill Breen

References

https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/news-room

https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/lego-group/the_lego_brand

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego

https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/lego-group/the_lego_history

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Lego

https://www.history.com/news/the-disastrous-backstory-behind-the-invention-of-lego-bricks

http://mentalfloss.com/article/19400/early-history-lego